Much Ado About Corin
by Darkeyes92
Summary: Revised Version  Changed Plotline : A big mistake on Corin's part leads to a big change for someone else


There are two times in your life when you know that you should be shitting yourself. The first is when you are about to be caught stealing the fairly priceless item from the scary man, who happens to have a small army at his disposal, and a bad taste for thieves. The second is when you find yourself sitting in front of the royal family (including Princess Aravis, who has a ridiculously scary serious face) trying to explain to them just how you managed to impregnate yourself with Prince Corin's child. Unfortunately for me, I had now been in both of those situations.

Princess Aravis was staring at me again. My Stars, I thought, that woman has an unfairly terrifying look. Honestly I felt like I was turning into something resembling melted candle wax. No one should be able to do something like that with just one look, it isn't fair.

I shifted, trying to escape the power of her look, and looked instead between the twin princes. Surprisingly it wasn't that hard to tell them apart. Now that could be because I had been more than a little familiar with the younger Prince, but I liked to think that it had something to do with the fact that I had (rather astutely) picked up on the fact that Prince Cor would be more likely to sit by his wife. Not to mention, the fact that he was the one chairing this little meeting on behalf of his father. In spite of everything I was a little disappointed that King Lune was not there; it would have been nice to meet him.

"Well," Prince Cor said, bringing his hands together in front of him on his large desk (which thinking about it know, I think must have actually belonged to his father, considering we were in the King's vestry) "As I'm fairly certain, my brother will have some kind of remark to dilly dallying, I think we should just get right to it." he said with a smile, that made me feel slightly more comfortable... right before I was barraged by the unrelenting gaze of Princess Aravis.

"Before we start, and I'm afraid I must ask this Miss Heatherstone-"

"It's actually Miss Barschild." I interjected. "Beggin' your pardon of course, Mrs Heatherstone is my employer. She thought I'd be taken more seriously with her surname."

Prince Cor nodded in comprehension. "Alright then," he said, "Well Miss Barschild, if you could, would you mind telling us how exactly you are certain that... my brother is the father of your child."

I glanced at him, Prince Corin that is. He was sitting next to me, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. He wasn't looking at anyone or anything. He stared at a spot on the floor, and did not move, the only indication that he was actually still alive, was the occasional clenching of his clasped hands.

"Well," I began. " Your Highness, the only way I _know-_really, is 'cause I 'aven't had any other sexual partners since him."

Prince Cor nodded, "And you are certain of this? Nothing may have happened with anyone else while you were... inebriated?"

"No, see, Missus Heatherstone found out that I were moonlightin' and so she threatened me wi' the sack if oi left agen." I said remembering after a little while to add "Your Majesty- I mean, Highness."

He nodded again, and wrote something down. All the while, Corin continued to stare at the floor, and Princess Aravis continued to stare at me. I started to wonder if I should stare at something too; if that was proper court protocol. Honestly though, I had no idea of what to do, except push down the sinking feeling in my gut, swallow away the dry, scratching of my throat, and try my best to wring the clammy sweat from my palms.

Eventually I had to say something. "I-It's a lovely carpet." I stammered glancing up at the princess.

Princess Aravis said nothing in reply, and continued to stare me down. I didn't know how much further down I could go.

"As I'm sure you understand, Miss Barschild, we have to take claims such as these very seriously." Prince Cor said, not looking up from his notes.

I swallowed and nodded, wondering what would happen to me. One thing I'd learned was if you cross the wrong people in the wrong place in this country, you can just disappear; like dust on the wind... whoosh!

"Could you please relate to us, just so that we know, how this happened?"

I frowned "Beggin' your pardon, Highness, but do you really want all the..." I glanced at Princess Aravis "details?"

Prince Cor smiled again, good humouredly. "I mean, how you met."

Oh... right... I smiled nervously, and began to recollect.

It was a winter night; I was moonlighting at a local pub; the Goose and Gauntlet. The landlord turns a blind eye, while the basement is rented out two nights a week. Why? Because for two nights, the cage is pulled up, and the floor is swept...

… And the men come out to fight.

Cage fighting has been banned in Archenland for years. King Lune, well known for his pascifism, declared it "unsportsmanlike, uncouth, and unlawful"... If i'm being vulgarly honest... I think it's downright erotic.

So yes, it may have been mostly my fault, because I saw Corin thrown against the bars, and fight his way back, sweat glistening on his toned body, muscles moving under his skin fluently, blood congealing from old wounds... Oh… Something about a fighting man always gets me going (I'm not trying to sound like a whore or anything, but Corin wasn't the first cage fighter to drop me, if you know what I mean).

So I traded with Judy to clean him up in the boards upstairs. The bargirls were assigned to clean up the fighters' wounds after the fights. And so I made sure that I had Corin.

I had cleaned fighters before, hell I'd slept with fighters before, but there was something altogether... different about Corin. When I entered the room, he looked anxious, scared almost to see me. I think he must have been worrying about whether or not I'd recognise him. I did.

I knew who he was. I knew that it was royal blood that was cleaning from his skin, royal sweat that I was wiping away. I knew that he was Prince Archen. But that wasn't why I traded with Judy. There was a strainin' in his expression; a need. He took more blows than he gave, and I couldn't figure why, because the blows he gave were downright brutal, and he should have had no trouble at all winnin a fight... It was almost as though he needed the pain. And then, when I came to wash his wounds, I congratulated him winning, and he shrugged it off. I still am a little confused about that.

I suppose what made me go for it really, was the overwhelming sense of sadness that seemed to teem out of his entire body. It wasn't that I pitied him (well not really) It was just... i'm not sure. He seemed to be a little lost, and in pain. I suppose I wanted to heal him. He didn't argue, he just went with it. I think that he was looking for something...

I have to say, sex with Corin was the quietest affair I'd ever experienced. It was good, don't misunderstand me, it was... really good... but it was quiet, the sort of quiet that you don't want to disturb. Words weren't necessary, names weren't necessary, stories weren't necessary. One didn't ask, and the other didn't tell.

"It's the normal way I guess." I finally told Prince Cor. "Um... I was working that night at the Goose and Gauntlets, and Corin was fighting in the cage in the basement."

At my words, I noticed Corin's head lower, in the corner of my eye, and I felt a weight lifting off my shoulders as Aravis' eyes turned to Corin. I looked over at Corin, who had a grimace on his face. The whole chemistry of the room changed; the air was thicker, tense. Even good humoured Prince Cor's face became serious and intense.

"You're going to the cages?" Princess Aravis asked with narrowed eyes.

I glanced at Corin who looked up with a blank, faux-innocent look on his face. "No, not today." he said with an easy tone. "But if you really want me to-"

"I can not believe you, Corin!" Aravis cried.

Corin raised an eyebrow, "We may be digressing..."

"No, this is an important issue, Corin." Cor said, "I'm tired of being your caretaker when it comes to things like this. Cage fighting is illegal, irresponsible, and you could die easily."

Corin's face was of a serious, stoic nature, one like I'd never seen. I wondered what he was thinking.

"You told me you'd stopped."

Corin rolled his eyes "Well forgive me if I didn't live up to your expectations, _Father,_" he said with a sourness that no one missed. There was an uncomfortable moment of silence. Prince Cor seemed to be restraining himself a little bit.

"What exactly is your part in all this?" Aravis asked suddenly. It took me a minute to realise she was actually talking to me,

"Me?" I asked, "What d'you mean?"

"It just seems very convenient that the man who impregnates you, _happens _to be the Prince of Archenland."

My eyes narrowed, instinctively. "What are you suggesting?"

Aravis said nothing and just glared at me levelly.

"If you think that I'm the sort to do summat like 'at-"

"She's suggesting nothing." Cor said quickly, putting a hand on his wife's, and giving her a look that Corin and I both noticed. "She gets a little ahead of herself sometimes, it's the Calormene in her."

I'm sure Corin also saw the glare that Aravis gave to Cor after that comment.

"It seems there is an obvious solution to this issue we have, wouldn't you say?"

I nodded. As Mrs Heatherstone said, I could expect a large sum of money, and to be sent somewhere to have my child. Then when he is born I would raise him, with unrelenting help and support from the crown. "I'm fully prepared for anything you decide."

"As i'm sure you recognise, Miss Barschild," Prince Cor said, "This situation does not only affect you. It also affects my brother, myself, your child, and the throne of Archenland. And it is for these very reasons that this matter can not be taken lightly in any way."

"You already said that, genius, do you want to actually get to the point" Corin said.

Prince Cor ignored him. "Furthermore, due to events which have recently been revealed, I feel that I must intervene in my brother's life. The path he has begun to go down does not rightly befit a Prince of Archenland." he said pointedly at Corin, who looked away.

"Prince Corin needs to learn to be a responsible adult. He needs to learn discipline, and moderation."

"Seriously, are you trying for Father's actual life? Because you are starting to sound far too much like him." Corin said bitterly.

"It is for this reason, that I believe, the best course of action, is to be brutally old fashioned." Prince Cor finally stood and looked suddenly twenty feet tall when he said, "Prince Corin of Archenland, and Daisy Barschild will be married"

… That was _not_ what I had been expecting…

In my heart I knew I loved my brother. Ever since he rolled through the dirt trails of the Calormene desert and dropped at our doorstep taking away the golden headache that had been prescirebd to me from birth (otherwise known as the Archen Crown,), I knew that he was a selfless man, and would always seek to make me happy. My heart knew I loved my brother for his good memory. For example he knew not to tell cook it was me who stole the pastries for the hunting party twice, (The first time, my hide was tanned, but his nose was broken). And he also knew to tell our tutor that I was very unwell every time that I didn't appear at lessons (His incompetence last time left him with a sound concussion). So one would probably think that through our teenaged years, and our growth together as young men, he would have learned how to live around me, and I would have learned to love him without begrudgement (I don't care if it's a word or not).

However, it would seem that my brother was intent to make me hate him. So while in my heart I knew that I loved my brother, that knowledge did not hold me back from swining for him as soon as we had entered father's vestry.

"Are you insane?" I cried.

The reason Cor was still upright, was because he had learned to duck. He calmly rose from his crouch and walked behind the desk saying. "It is a perfectly reasonable course of action, Corin." He sat down with all the self-importance he could muster. "It has been practised for centuries-"

"Cor, I'm not marrying her." I interrupted. "She's a complete stranger!"

"That wasn't a problem a few months ago now was it?"

I glared at him, "Are you a jester now? Because Old Phineas' knees have been giving him trouble..."

Cor sighed and shook his head at me, an action which irked me to the point at which my fists were itching to connect with his jugular. "Corin... I am trying to be an adult about this-"

"No" I said, my voice rising "_you're_ trying to be Father"

"You get pregnant, you get married. That's how it works."

"Maybe back in the first ages!" I cried, my arms flaling about with exhasperation. It was true, while Archenland was a prudish nation if anything, pregnant women did not necessarily have to get married. Plenty of the guys in Felixstowe were fatherless. "things are different now-"

"**Yes.****" **Cor snapped standing up, and looking at me fiercely** "**Things _are_ different, things are harder, especially for the mother of a bastard child who has no family, no husband, and the only connection she has is an irresponsible upstart of a prince who want's nothing to do with her!"

"Aren't you supposed to be taking my side on this?"

"_Someone_, has to take Daisy's side." Cor said, his face was contorted in an anger that rarely ever passes the surface "I am not going to leave her to the wolves to save your pride. You _got_ her pregnant. You _will_ marry her, and you _will_ be happy about it."

That got me angry, who did he think he was talking down to me like I was a boy. I gritted my teeth and shoved him "You can't force me to do anything that I don't want to Cor; i'm a grown man, and you are not my father!"

Cor nodded. "No, but I am Prince Regent. And I am now ordering you as your prince, to be a man, to take on some bloody responsibility for Aslan's sake, and not let your child be a bastard."

He then stormed out, the door slammed behind him. And I was left fuming in father's vestry burning holes into the tapestries with my glare. Prince Regent, my back foot. I thought, If he think's he can tell me what to do… well I'll just have to show him.


End file.
